By Jeff Lipton
Lawrence Public Schools, which owns the library building and the land it sits on at 280 Central Avenue in Lawrence, as well as the adjacent Number One School property, have opened discussions with the library board about possibly reconfiguring the lot, which could increase parking space. Members of the school board and the library board sat down for the first time recently to discuss parking considerations. In the past, the school district has seemingly been unwilling to talk about relinquishing some of the children's play space at the school.
But with the help of Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach), they have agreed to listen to proposals from the library.
Oh, clearly we've opened up some discussions, said Arleen Reo, library director. In the past, there's been no negotiations since I've been here in two and a half years as director. Now we've been invited to present them with a proposal.
An engineer has been called to possibly redistribute some of the space at the Number One School, which would allow the library to enlarge its parking field. The library currently only has 22 parking spots, which is not nearly enough to accommodate patrons, especially when the library holds a special program or event. About 32,000 residents live in District 15.
But more importantly, the parking lot and driveway area have been cited as extremely dangerous. Only one car is able to fit through the driveway, which is used for both entering and exiting the library. So when a car is entering and another is leaving at the same time, the car arriving has the right of way, forcing the other car to back up. And there are signs indicting this.
But some exiting patrons refuse to budge, forcing the other driver to back up onto busy Central Avenue. There have been some crack-ups, Reo said. It does behoove them to work with us so it is a safer situation. Other incidents have resulted in verbal fights among motorists, she said.
As I see it, it's a bonafide safety issue, said Insp. George Gudmundsen, commanding officer of the Fourth Precinct. It's a serious safety issue when you have cars backing up onto Central Avenue. I'm hopeful that they both, the school board and the library board, can come to some solution and correct the unsafe situation.
He said that at the library's request, he has asked the Nassau County Traffic Safety Unit to conduct a survey of the parking lot and driveway, an unusual request because surveys are usually set aside for roads. But Gudmundsen felt what goes on in that parking lot severely impacts Central Avenue traffic.
The inspector said the problem can be corrected by widening the driveway and increasing the size of the parking field and by changing the lay-out.
School board president Frank Argento said he is not sure why past school boards would not open negotiations because the parking is so unsafe. We could possibly trade off some space, Argento said. This is still in the planning stages. If we can accommodate the library and not take away anything from the children of the school, this could benefit everyone.
The parking is such a challenge over here, said Liane Richardson of Inwood, a regular patron of he library. When someone tries to leave, someone comes in to the lot, putting them in jeopardy. Unfortunately, there are times when an outgoing vehicle does not give the incoming car the courtesy and they have to back up onto Central Avenue, posing hazards to those in the vehicle as well as those in Central Avenue traffic.
Susan Upbin of Atlantic Beach said increased parking at the lot would be nice. She added, It's hit or miss whether you get a parking spot.
Reo said the school has about 75 parking spaces for staff, but when the school is closed or on the weekends, the parking lot is not being used and could be utilized by library patrons, especially on its busy weekends.
Concerns about the safety of the school children would be solved by putting up double fencing, she said.
In 1997, District 15 voters rejected a $7.96 million plan to build a new library building on Rockaway Turnpike in Cedarhurst. Many objected to the location, saying it would force seniors to cross the railroad tracks and that it would back up traffic on the turnpike. Others opposed the cost and expected increase in taxes. The library board's search for a new site has been unsuccessful and they have had to back off their hopes for new construction since the district has been hit with a financial crisis during the past year in which millions were overspent. And the school district has socked it to taxpayers already.
E. Marie Doran, library board president, said she is extremely hopeful a compromise could be ironed out. I don't want to get my hopes up too high, Doran said. We can't do it without them [the school district]. It has to be a joint effort.
